News: There’s no doubt something happened behind the scenes with Cooper

[KJJ]

Every receiver believes they are not targeted enough.

It wasn’t just him most around the league don’t think he was targeted enough. We’ll see how we do without him.

 

[Corso]

For a first round pick and 20m$ annually? Hmm. I can’t imagine they expected what he gave them

So was that a no?
I mean, you could just be direct.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Or maybe it was because he had 180yds total after the catch? And for your information that was dead last among all receivers with 800+ receiving. Take the Dak obsession to the “other” thread please.

He walks like a hater, quacks like a hater……typhoid is a dak hater. Lol

 

[gimmesix]

It wasn’t just him most around the league don’t think he was targeted enough. We’ll see how we do without him.

Define most. Are we talking about a bunch of talking heads paid to stir things up with an opinion or are we talking about coaches/GMs, etc.?

A lot goes into whether a receiver is targeted. What is more telling is how many times was he the first read? If Prescott read the coverage and he was being doubled or looked his way and the coverage was tight at that moment, then he'd move on to his next read. We all know that Dak does not like to throw into tight coverage, so he's not generally going to force the ball to a receiver. I believe it's likely that if Cooper wasn't targeted as much as normal (which he wasn't with 104 in 2021 compared to 130 in 2020), there's probably a good reason for it.

Naturally, Cooper is going to want more targets, but just saying he should have received more without examining each play where the ball didn't go his way doesn't tell us much. He was the No. 1 receiver last year, but Lamb ended up with more targets. The question is why, and how much of it had to do with Coop's play. I would say it's most likely it had a whole lot to do with his play.

 

[KJJ]

Define most. Are we talking about a bunch of talking heads paid to stir things up with an opinion or are we talking about coaches/GMs, etc.?

Most are the ones I listen to on NFL Network. I’m certainly not going to waste much time arguing about it I’ve made my position clear. We’ll see if it comes back to bite us. I think it will.

 

[OhReally]

Or maybe it was because he had 180yds total after the catch? And for your information that was dead last among all receivers with 800+ receiving. Take the Dak obsession to the “other” thread please.

Well tell Dak to stop being late with the ball.

 

[buybuydandavis]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...upgrade-over-amari-cooper-as-a-no-1-receiver/

But Jones acknowledged Cooper had his issues and that Lamb has the makings of more a complete No. 1 receiver in “production, in the huddle and off the field.”

He’s a better #1 because he’s an upgrade off the field…? What does that even mean? Amari was a boy scout.

But Cooper didn't scream and shout so that makes him a bad football player.

 

[Pass2Run]

The thing that soured them on Cooper (it's been said around the Ranch, too) is that he wouldn't take contact like go over the middle, fight for an extra yard, or run through someone rather than out of bounds, etcetera. The thing that soured them on him was the fact that he doesn't have any dog in him.. Like Lamb, Gallup, et al. Cooper was a finesse receiver who admittedly didn't want to risk injury to hisself (sic) from injury.

I think he did that a little too much in the playoffs. And they showed him the door.

He had 64 yards receiving in the 2021 postseason.

That's the kind of production you get from your #3 — not your alleged #1.

 

[JohnsKey19]

This move was clearly driven by personal feelings. Obviously there were also probably some performance issues but not enough to basically throw away for a 5th rounder.

 

[Hadenough]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...upgrade-over-amari-cooper-as-a-no-1-receiver/

But Jones acknowledged Cooper had his issues and that Lamb has the makings of more a complete No. 1 receiver in “production, in the huddle and off the field.”

He’s a better #1 because he’s an upgrade off the field…? What does that even mean? Amari was a boy scout.

Something definitely happened last season that soured the team on Amari. Maybe it was the reported outbursts at Dak. Maybe the team asked him to take a pay cut. But CeeDee is a preferable option because he’s not making 20m$ a year, not because he’s proven to be superior on the football field. To outright say you prefer him over Amari implies there’s something more going on there.

Go back and watch his blocking on the final drive against the 49ers. He was standing around and the big play to Lamb would of been bigger had hè block his man. His guy tackled Lamb. Same with Pollard. His guy tackled Pollard. He very well may of cost Dallas that game on the last drive.

 

[Hadenough]

The thing that soured them on Cooper (it's been said around the Ranch, too) is that he wouldn't take contact like go over the middle, fight for an extra yard, or run through someone rather than out of bounds, etcetera. The thing that soured them on him was the fact that he doesn't have any dog in him.. Like Lamb, Gallup, et al. Cooper was a finesse receiver who admittedly didn't want to risk injury to hisself (sic) from injury.

I think he did that a little too much in the playoffs. And they showed him the door.

He had 64 yards receiving in the 2021 postseason.

That's the kind of production you get from your #3 — not your alleged #1.

I've always felt he was lacking that eye of the tiger toughness and fight. That's probably why Gruden wanted to trade him he thought he was a wuss.

 

[CouchCoach]

I think Cooper is happy to be elsewhere, he is too quiet a clown for this circus.

 

[noshame]

All wr with ego never get the ball enough.
Just ask them.
Then add a qb who holds the ball and you have a whining receiver.
Glad he's gone.
But Dak has to step it up or you'll be hearing from Lamb next

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

He was also third on the team in targets, that strategy came from the front office so they can cut him at the end of the year and fans like you can point at his stats.

So Jerry told Moore and Dak not to make Cooper the main target even if he is open...ok then

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Jerry’s fascination with talking about players makes no sense. They made the decision to move on. How bout focusing on the players that are here instead of talking Cooper or Gregory, he is trying to hard to justify the moves that the team made this year. (All which I don’t have problem with)

Jerry has to have vengence

 

[CouchCoach]

The thing that soured them on Cooper (it's been said around the Ranch, too) is that he wouldn't take contact like go over the middle, fight for an extra yard, or run through someone rather than out of bounds, etcetera. The thing that soured them on him was the fact that he doesn't have any dog in him.. Like Lamb, Gallup, et al. Cooper was a finesse receiver who admittedly didn't want to risk injury to hisself (sic) from injury.

I think he did that a little too much in the playoffs. And they showed him the door.

He had 64 yards receiving in the 2021 postseason.

That's the kind of production you get from your #3 — not your alleged #1.

Yet Lamb gets 1 for 21 but he's special? Where was he and what was he doing?

And the QB completes 53% for 1 TD (to Cooper) and 1 pick. That's not the kind of production you get from a franchise QB in the playoffs.

That game was a team loss and the only player I would give a pass to was Vander Eash, he outplayed Parsons.

When the TE leads the team in receptions in a playoff game and the offense is not set up for that, most of the time they lose. They were set up to be a vertical passing team and they failed.

And 67 yards rushing to 167 yards in the playoffs is the reason they lost that game. Playoffs are still about running the ball and stopping the run, they did neither.

I am not defending Cooper, I never thought he was a top level WR, he lacks that killer instinct. He is a great route runner but he does not have great hands and I think his will to win is team based. Some players are like that. Guys like Irvin and Bryant were more individual based, they were not going to let that guy take them out of the game. They took the game personally.

 

[CouchCoach]

Jerry has to have vengence

Needs to deflect blame and give the unknowledgeable fans a scapegoat.

Someone needs to explain to me why this team, with a totally different coaching staff, cannot show up with a sense of urgency in a playoff game. Happened in 2016 and 2021. Are they overconfident with their champion mouthpiece extolling their virtues before they've accomplished the goal?

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Needs to deflect blame and give the unknowledgeable fans a scapegoat.

Someone needs to explain to me why this team, with a totally different coaching staff, cannot show up with a sense of urgency in a playoff game. Happened in 2016 and 2021. Are they overconfident with their champion mouthpiece extolling their virtues before they've accomplished the goal?

I call it corporate culture. It gets sets in and hard to break. I have been part of many organizations and it's fascinating to see the differences. As I said very difficult to change and it starts at the top. Although we changed coaches, we didn't change the way we did things. A football team, organization is no different and not immune.

You hire a CEO and give him power to do things his way. You don't hire a head coach and then not give him full control, ala not allow him to dictate offense and allow players to bypass him and go to the owner ( in thjs case it's important to note the GM is the owner with all the power).

Jerry handicaps the coaches and the team and organization. Marketing is highest priority and winning is secondary. Jerry makes excuses for everyone and players and coaches know it thus there is no sense of urgency. The passion to hate to lose is not there. Even new players get used to it after a while.

 

[Ranched]

Coops declined. Yes he's young, but numbers don't lie. That's why he's with a bottom feeders team.

 

[Batman1980]

Cooper's game-breaking speed, perfect hands and pristine route-running have all declined since we traded for him. I doubt myself or the Cowboys thought it would happen so quickly, though. He's going into an offense in Cleveland where Mayfield is a substantial downgrade from Prescott but there's so little talent in the WR room he may still produce.